Does balneotherapy with low radon concentration in water influence the endocrine system? A controlled non-randomized pilot study.

Authors: Nagy K (1) , Berhés I (2) , Kovács T (3) , Kávási N (4) , Somlai J (3) , Bender T (5)
Affiliations:
(1) Department of Rheumatology, Markhot Ferenc Hospital (2) 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Markhot Ferenc Hospital (3) Institute of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, Pannon University (4) Social Organization for Radio Ecological Cleanliness (5) Polyclinic of the Hospitaller Brothers of St. John of God
Source: Radiat Environ Biophys. 2009 Aug;48(3):311-5
DOI: 10.1007/s00411-009-0222-3 Publication date: 2009 Aug E-Publication date: March 24, 2009 Availability: abstract Copyright: © Springer International Publishing AG, Part of Springer Science+Business Media
Language: English Countries: Not specified Location: Not specified Correspondence address: Bendet T : bender@mail.datanet.hu

Keywords

Article abstract

Radon bath is a well-established modality of balneotherapy for the management of degenerative musculoskeletal disorders. The present study was conducted to ascertain whether baths of relatively low (80 Bq/l) radon concentration have any influence on the functioning of the endocrine system. In the study, a non-randomized pilot study, 27 patients with degenerative musculoskeletal disorders received 30-min radon baths (of 31-32 degrees C temperature and 80 Bq/l average radon concentration) daily, for 15 days. Twenty-five patients with matching pathologies were subjected to balneotherapy according to the same protocol, using thermal water with negligible radon content (6 Bq/l). Serum thyroid stimulating hormone, prolactin, cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and dehydroepiandrosterone levels were measured before and after a balneotherapy course of 15 sessions. Comparison of the accumulated data using the Wilcoxon test did not reveal any significant difference between pre- and post-treatment values or between the two patient groups. It is noted that while the beneficial effects of balneotherapy with radon-containing water on degenerative disorders is widely known, only few data have been published in the literature on its effect on endocrine functions. The present study failed to demonstrate any substantial effect of thermal water with relatively low radon content on the functioning of the endocrine system.

Find it online